Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-08-20
FRUIT AUCTION SALES.
INTERESTING SCENES IL THE
SALES.EOGMS IN NEW YORK.
Where the California Fruits are Ex-
hiDited by Samples and Bid
Off by Carloads.
ESPECIAL. DISPATCH 70 THE RECORD uslos.I

lCopyrgl, 1887, by the California Associated Pressl
NEW YORK, August 19th.-In yesterdays adj
vices some account was given of the outlook in
this market for California green fruits. Some
description of the place where the auctions oc-
cur, and the conditions attending the sale may
not be out of place. The auction room is at the
corner OF Broad and Beaver streets, and in the
upper story of a building in which more fruit is
sod daily than in any other place in the United
States. Climbing up several flights of stairs
THE AUCTION ROOM is REACHED.
The special feature of attraction in this room,
when your correspondent visited it, was dis
play of samples of u carload OF California fruit
which had arrived that day august 10TH,
which fruit was sold soon after and within few
hours of its arrival. The principal display made
was of peaches, pears, piums and grapes. The
boxes or packages were placed on frame work
uphe d by wooden horses" which stood in
front of the auctioneer's stand and the display
also extended around the side of the room to his
right for a short distance.
THE FRUIT WAS LARGE AND VERY HANDS ONE
With the exception of the grapes, which last, to
tell the exact fact, were nothing like what can
be produced. 1t was, however, early for grapes
The varieties of grapes were Muscats and Rose
OF Peru. The peaches commanded general ad-
miration for size and color, and so also did the
pears, on the part of perhaps $50 buyers who
and pears arrived very ripe. Some were con-
siderably decayed, and all gave evidence of
complete ripeDess. SO that u speedy sale was de-
sirable. The journey across hot desert had
pened them very fast But the p.ums, beauti-
fnl in color and fine in size, as they were GER
tainly in flavor, called forth
EXPRESSIONS OF wARMEsT PRAISE.
The fruit was all packed in paper; that is, each
no NIL orar afalx-
in fine white tissue covering. These papers
were cast aside as the fruit was brought to view
for critical inspection. There being but one car
load to dispose of on this occasion the buyers
were fewer than when the lots are larger There
was also larger proportion of retailers present
Among the latter were many Italians An un
broken line of dealers surrounded the samples
from an hour or less before the sale up TO the
time for the auction to begin, 11:S0 A NJ. One of
the busiest men in the room was Mr.. Day, of
Sgobel & Day, who arrived some time i'll adj
vance of the auctioneer, accompanied by Mr.
Blois manager for the agents of the California
Fruit Union. Mr. Day was provided with
California fruit catalogue, as indeed every per-
son in the room was, and on this he made en-
tries as he inspected. Before the SAFE there was
ample time to inspect the surroundings
ARRANGEMENTS FOB AUCTION sALEs
The auctioneer has a raised stand, with an
arrangement much like reading desk in front
of him. To the right and left of him is a raised
platform, extending short distance Over his
head is large bulletin-board. on which are
q
green fruit. Among these conditions are the
following: Cash: no allowance for anything lex
cept the customary damage for birthstone, If
any; fruit to be delivered to the purchasers at
their place of business in this city upon pay
ment of the regular carriage for the same, etc;
deposit OF 20 per cent. in current funds where
required on account of the purchase.
The room is large and nearly square. Two
sets of windows light it from the sides and
overhead are two huge skylights which are
raised and lowered by ropes, of which enough |
are attached to the walls to make quite n re- |
spectacle showing of rigging" The room |
is, therefore, light enough to show off all the
offered by sample for sale. OF course, only |
sample boxes or packages are brought to |
the auctiOn-room.
THE BENCHES on WHICH THE BUYERS ARE
SEATED
During the sale are a ranged for the most part |
in rows in front of the auctioneer's desk but |
there are also other seats at each side of his |
dais Three hundred or more persons, perhaps |
four hundred, can be easily seated. The weather |
has streaked the walls of the auction ROOM but |
the fruit auction business has grown SO that a |
new building, to cost $40 600 is now going up at
the corner OF State and Bridge streets. The new |
building will be opened this fall. 1t is directly
opposite the Office of Sgobel & Day. The present
auction room is only a short distance from the |
Office of the agents.
TIE AuCrIoNEER APPEARS.
About II 80 o'clock dapper and pleasant-ap- |
pearing man, who is neither Brown nor Sec |
comb. but who is to act as auctioneer on this |
occasion, appears, and proceeds to business. |
He first sheds his coat and vest and dons thin |
linen coat out of Difference to the weather and |
the exertions which he is Immediately to make |
Having done this, and having looked over his |
probably exact estimate of the buyers assem- |
bled-for he has many years of experience-he |
mounts the rostrum, whistles through a tube to |
some one in the lower story, and
THEN BEGINS THE SALE
Without more ado. The most of those present |
bIiyprS have taken seats hYyt thara 10 cfi
fringle of retailers who evidently intend to buy |
the samples and who stand near the packages, |
looking at the fruit critically. Warm weather |
ripens fruit and makes a market for it also it |
calls out its distinctive insgnia-the straw hat |
Most all dealers have on straw hats and they |
wipe the perspration from their faces as they !
lean back, catalogue and pencil in hand to bid |
and check. Mr.. Day is on the platform close to |
the auctionecr. and checks on his catalogue. |
Mr. Blois sits at his left ready to act as soon as
the sale is concluded. He also checks.
FRUIT TESTED BY PRoFIT-MAKING ONLY.
1t must at once occur to the casual onlooker
that this gathering makes up the most critical
jury possible on California fruit 1t is entirely
a business transaction. and they Judge every
package in the light of profit to themselves, the
only question being just what it will bring
what they can get for it They are not Caifor-
the fruit as Californian product, and of course
would just as soon sell fruit from any other Sec
ton if profit is found thereby. Therefore if the
California fruit makes headway in this auction |
room before this jury, it has the Endorsement
of the set of men best competent to Judge as. to
its merits probably to be found anywhere east
of the SierraS That it is making Roadway and
that this is manifested by
THE WIDENING CIRCLE OF BUYERS
Has been mentioned in preceding advices Not
only on the score of impartiality, but also on
the ground of experience will it be seen that
these buyers are qualified to judge They are
not novices in handling fruit by any means, the
majority. if not all of those in the room, having
been raised In the business u from oyhood.
And ftnrr audi np J.
possesses at this time and in this place, pc
culiar intere.t for Californians, your agent re-
grets that he had not an instantaneous photo
graph. that the shipper in California might see
the scene for himse f. The buyers are largely
midde-aged men. They bid in what they want
with little noise. following the rambling tongue
of the auetioneer as he climbs the financial STAIR
THE SALE IS OVER SPEEDILY.
In ten minutes the carload has been sold
those who wanted the samples have secured
them. There is, therefore quick and certain
work. The fruit has not had much opportunity
since 1t arrived to come to harm before it has
changed hands and become the property of
others.
The purchaser is equally interested with the
the sale is ended ManagefBlois is on the move.
He .verifies the prices as he has checked them,
and at once sends out dispatch to the Califor
mia Fruit Union, so that the prices received
ought to be known in California soon after the
auction-perhaps in an hour. The arrange
ments for
THE TRANSFER OF THE FRUIT
To the premises of the purchasers sys-
tematic. The sale closes at about noon-a little
earlier. By O'Clock the drays will have deliv-
cred large part of the fruit At night good
share of it will be on the tables of well-pleased
New Workers, and California will be brought
into hundreds of homes in fact.
Immediat ely after the California sale the sale
of oranges, lemons, ETC., begins. With more
fruit and more buyers, the scene is more ami
mated but the foregoing is a fair outline as it /
is from day TO day.